1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic assembly that contains an elastomeric connector. The elastomeric connector couples a ball grid array integrated circuit package to a substrate such as the motherboard of a computer.
2. Background Information
Integrated circuits are typically assembled into packages that are mounted to a printed circuit board. There are various types of integrated circuit packages including ball grid array (BGA) packages. BGA packages contain an integrated circuit that is mounted to a substrate. The package also contains a plurality of solder balls that are attached to a bottom surface of the substrate. The BGA substrate typically contains routing traces and vias that connect the solder balls to the integrated circuit. The solder balls can be re-flowed to mount the BGA package to another substrate such as the motherboard of a computer.
Because of manufacturing tolerances one or more of the solder balls may be smaller than the other balls. When re-flowed the smaller solder balls may not form a sufficient electrical connection between the BGA package and the motherboard. The insufficient connection may create an open circuit in the assembly. Additionally, the re-flow process and/or assembly process of the BGA package may create a warpage in the package. The warpage will create a lack of flatness that may result in electrical opens in the final assembly. It would be desirable to provide a BGA electronic package assembly that would reduce the probability of electrical opens in the assembly.
The re-flow process typically requires special solder re-flow equipment. This equipment is expensive to purchase and maintain. Additionally, the re-flow process can degrade both the motherboard and the BGA package. It would be desirable to provide an assembly process for a BGA package that does not require a re-flow of the solder balls.
One embodiment of the present invention is an electronic assembly that may include an elastomeric connector. The elastomeric connector may couple a solder ball of an integrated circuit package to a substrate